Look, It’s A Rumor — Quick! Slap Some Legs On It!

The other day, the Seattle Times reported that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was a candidate to replace the retiring Tom Hansen as Pacific 10 Conference Commissioner. She’d worked at Stanford, she was instrumental in Tyrone Willingham’s hiring as the best head coach the school had had since Bill Walsh, and she could use a resume bump after her last gig.

Now CBSSports.com’s Dennis Dodd is advancing the notion that she might be in the running to replace the ailing Myles Brand as the new head of the NCAA. Not that it’s in the works, but that it might be worth considering.

americanpowerblog.blogspot.com

“No eight-team playoff, no and-one game, no no a thousand times no!”

We take no position on this, as we found her good at her job as provost at Stanford, and not so good later in a job that had less to do with collegiate life or the business thereof. But we can be pretty sure of one thing.

She won’t suddenly see Barack Obama’s view on a college football playoff either way.

As you know if you’ve given it more than a reflexive thought, there are reasons why the NCAA, the networks and the NFL all are fine with the system as is, and there is no reason why either the conference or the NCAA would entertain the idea of someone who wants to undo what they have helped do.

But beyond that, Rice almost surely isn’t ready to see Obama’s view on an issue as globally trivial as a football playoff. The wounds of being linked so inextricably with the Bush thing and its repudiation last November would probably lead her toward the BCS view.

Of course, she could surprise the world and not only get the big job but change its course, but that’s not the way to bet. Still, we are speaking here of someone who hasn’t been offered the first job, let alone the second one which in any event still isn’t vacant anyway.

Still, it’s nice for a history prof who hasn’t even done up her first lesson plan to be thought of in such ways, especially in this job market. And if the college thing doesn’t work, maybe she could be Manny Ramirez’ next agent.